480 Sheds Its Surface Layer

Strolling through Shelis Garden in the Boundary Abyss did not feel particularly pleasant.

The effects of Silent Uncontact had yet to fade. Everything in sight was no longer the bustling void metropolis it had once been.

The air was thick with a bizarre, corrosive stench like stomach acid. The surfaces of the surrounding buildings appeared perfectly intact, untouched, still retaining the orderly appearance they had possessed before the invasion. Yet upon drawing even slightly closer, one would discover that it was merely a mirage, an illusion with only an outer shell.

This place had been eaten by a Society.

"The Blood of Ether's scent is still fresh. Its activity is strong, and its toxicity is probably at the Reforging—meaning Sigma (18)-rank—standard."

Vierria casually brushed her hand across the world around them and said pityingly, "It was a Hidden Councilor, accompanied by at least one Chairperson. This place has been eaten clean."

After saying that, she raised her head and glanced at the girl behind her.

"Don't stand around either. This is a rare opportunity. Focus and properly sense the environment here. Councilor-level Blood of Ether is all very special. As a Tailor, you can now glean some information from it."

Vierria watched as the other girl lowered her head, knelt on one knee, and carefully sensed the drifting air around her.

"Relax. Ether will not harm you, another Hidden Councilor. Open your body and mind, and quietly accept the Ether lingering here."

Vierria reminded her.

"Tell me, Dai Yawen. What did you see?"

The bleak wind pulled back her hood, revealing the woman's dry white hair and webbed eyes. She calmed herself, her pores seeming to open completely as she allowed that familiar, intimate presence in the air to seep into her body.

Then, as those traces entered her blood,